Self-erecting front camera



July 14, 1936- cy. W. CRUMRINE SELF ERECTING FRON'II1 CAMERA Filed April 50, 1935 ATTORNEYS Patented July 14, 1936 UNITED' STATES PATENT ori-ICE SELF-ERECTING FRONT CAMERA Application April 30, 1935,' Serial No. 19,012

i 11 Claims.

This invention relates to photography and more particularly to cameras in which the camera parts are positioned in an open or picture-taking position automatically.

5. One object of my invention is to provide a simple type of camera construction in which the front automatically moves into a picture-taking position in which it is automatically latched. Another object of my invention is to provide a camera with a self-erecting front, of the type in which the front always moves parallel to the camera body, and toprovide a hinged bed which cooperates with the front erecting structure. Another object of my invention is to provide a camera with a front which will be automatically projected into a picture-taking position and a bed which cooperates with the front erecting mechanism by which it is solely supported. Another object of my invention is to provide a simple type of latch mechanism which will hold the parts in an open or picture-taking position, and other objects will appear from the following specication, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In self-erecting front cameras, particularly of the more compact type, the space inside of the camerav body is quite limited, and consequently, the mechanism which goes into this space must also be compact. With the new small-sized cameras, it is preferable to provide a camera objective of relatively large aperture, this requiring a large shutter and still further reducing the space into which the erecting mechanism must go.

Since self-erecting front mechanisms always depend on some form of spring action, it is desirable to provide a self-erecting front mechanism which can be operated either totally by the spring pressure or partially by a. manual force applied to`a part of the camera in the opening movement. It is also desirable to operate such cameras entirely manually in case the erecting spring should become weakened or broken.

My improved form of self-erecting front mechanism is particularly directed to cameras of the small type in which the front is normallyvprojected bya spring into picturetaking position, but in which the front may be projected manuali should the spring become damaged.

Coming now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denote like partsthroughout:

Fig. 1 is a part side elevation and-part section of a self-erecting front camera constructedin accordance with and embodying'a preferred form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar -to Fig. 1 but with the parts in a partially closed position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, but with the parts in a totally closed position.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation partially in section of 5 the camera shown in Fig. 1.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention, the camera body may be of a cornpact type. This camera body I is adapted to receive a back 2 which covers the spool chambers 10 3 and 4. These chambers, as is customary, lie to each side of an exposure frame 5 across which the film is drawn from the supply spool chamber 3 to the take-up spool chamber 4 for exposing successive areas of lm. l The supply spool 6 and the 15 take-up spool 1 may be used to Wind theI iilm across the exposure area in the usual manner.

On the front of the camera body I,.I provide a hinged bed 8, this bed being carried by a hinge pintle 9. which in turn is carried by a hinge having 20l extended arms ID so that the hingepintle 9 will lie outside of the normal contour of the camera body. Surrounding the hinge pintle 9 is a coiled spring I I, best shown in Fig. 4, the tendency of this spring being to thrust the bed from the positionv shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 1--that is, to thrust the bed into a position in which the camera' is in an open or picturetaking position.

It might be noted here that the camera. bed 8 is not provided with the usual bed braces connecting .it to the camera, but it is supported in accordance with the preferred form of my invention by means of a pair of similar links I2 arranged on each side of the camera bed. Each 35 link I2 is pivoted at I3 to the camera bed and is pivotally attached to a stud I4. 'I'his studis mounted to slide in the slot I5 carried by the flange I6 which forms a part of the lens board I1. y

As is customary, the lens board I1 may carry 40 .a shutter I8 and the camera objective, one element of which is mounted in the lens cell I9.

Since the lazy tongs on each side of the camera. are the same, only one will be described, and the reference characters will be the same in each case. The lazy tongs for supporting the len board' I1 comprise a. pair of arms 20 and 2|, the lower ends of which are pivoted at 22 and 23 to the lens board I1 and to a bracket in the camera body 24. The arms 20 and 2| are pivoted together at 25 and one arm is attached to the stud I4 at its upperend, the other arm being attached to a similar stud 26 which is mounted to slide in theA slot 21, also carried by the vbracket 24. Thus, when the lens board I1 moves to and from the camera. body, it will always be held in parallel relation thereto, and the lazy `tongs may move upon their pivots as the studs I4 and 28 slide in their respective slots.

Since the lazy tongs always' move the lens board I 'I parallel with the camera body I, and

since the bed 8` swings upon its hinge pintle 9 simultaneously with movement ofthe lazy tongs, the distance the pin I4 moves in the slot I5 in the connection between the lens board I1 and the lazy tongs determines the spacing of the link pivot I3 attaching it to the bed 8 from the bed hinge pintle 9. .This distance should be ap- 'proximately the same as the length of slot I5.

, The sliding movement of the arms constituting the lazy tongs slide the stud I4 in the slot I5 and likewise moves the link I2 when the camera is.; in an open or apicture-taking position, as shown in Fig. l. The camera bed is at.

right angles to the camera body and is held in era front I is projected outwardly, hooks 33 on the lower ends of the links I2 become engaged by the latch members 29, and since these prevent a sliding movement of the stud I4 in the slot I5, the camera will be locked in an open or picture-taking position.

In order to release this lock, the linger pieces 34 of the latch members are merely pressed together, releasing the hooks 33 so that by turning the bed in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, the stud I4 is forced upwardly through its slot I5, thus causing the lazy tongs to swing upon their pivotal mounts and causing the camera to fold in the position shown in Fig. 3. In this position itwill b e seen that the camerabed 8 completely covers the shutter I8 and the objective partially held by the lens cell I9 so that no dust can enter and mar the lens.

It is, of course, necessary to connect the lens board I'I and the camera body by means of the bellows of the usual type shown at 35. A-latch consisting of a spring arm 36 with a linger release 31 is provided on the camera body, this latch being provided with an opening 38 in which a projection 39 in the camera body may engage tohold the camera in a closed position with the bed folded tightly against the camera body.

' ted by the pins 40 and the' slots 4I.

Movement of the latch elements 29 as shown by Fig. 4 upon their pivots 30 may be controlled by providing pins 40 on the lens board extending upwardly through slots 4I in the latch elements.

"I'hus, in Fig. 4, the latch elements are shown in their/i operative' positions, which are the positions they assume under theimpulse of their springs 3I when they are in a latching position. By pressing, inwardly upon the 'nger grips 29,- these latch elements may move the limited distance permit- This also prevents the latch elements from interfering with the lazy tongs or the links I2 when the camera is made to fold.

The operation of a camera constructed in accord'ance with my invention is very simple. With the camera in the position shown in Fig. 3, in order to position the parts for taking pictures, it is only necessary to press inwardly upon the fingerpiece 31, releasing the latch elements 38 and 39. As soon as this is done, the spring II causes the iront to be projected outwardly, and as the camera bed moves down about its hinge pintle 9 under 5 the impulse of this spring, the link I2, which is pivoted to the bed at I3 and which is swung upon the stud I4, pulls the stud I4 downwardly in its slot` I5 so that as soon as the bed reaches the position shown in Fig. 1, the camera parts are in an l0 erect or picture-taking position. When they reachthis position, the latch elements 29 snap over the hooks 33, thus holding the parts rigidly in their operative position.

'I'his opening movement normally takes place`15 under the force applied by the spring II. However, if this spring should become weak or if it be made in the construction ot the self-erecting 30 front mechanism, I consider as withinthe scope of my invention all such changes in construction as may come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

v What I claim is:

l-. In a self-erecting front camera, the combination with a camera body, of affront carrying an objective, lazy tongs comprising a plurality oi members each pivotally mounted at one end and slidably mounted at the other end on the camera 40 body and front, said lazy tongs constituting means ,on which the front may move relatively to the body and in parallel relation thereto, a camera bed hingedly mounted on the camera body, a link connected to a lazy tongs member at the slidably 45 mounted end and connected to the bed for forming the sole support for the bed, said link being adapted to swing through a relatively small angle in moving the camera. front relative to the camera body. 50

2. In a self erecting front camera, the combination with a camera body, of a front carrying an objective, lazy tongs on which the front may move relatively to the body and in parallel relation thereto, a camera bed hingedly mounted on the camera, a link connected to the lazy tongs and bed for forming the sole support -for the and a latch element cooperating with the link for-holding the parts in an open or picture taking position.

3. In a self erecting iront camera, the combination with a camera body, of a 'front carrying an objective, lazy tongs on which the iront may move relatively .to the body and in parallel relation thereto, a. camera bed hingedly mounted on 65 the camera, a link connected to the lazy tongs and bed for forming the sole support for the bed. and a spring latch movably mounted with respect to the link and adapted, through engagement with the link, to lock the camera in'an open or picture 70 taking position. l

4. In a" self erecting front camera; the combination with a camera\body, ora front carrying an objective, lazy tongs on which the iront may move relatively to the body and in parallel reie- 7 tion thereto, a. camera bed hingedly mounted on the camera, a link connected to the lazy tongs and bed for forming the sole support for the bed, a spring latch mounted on the lens board and projecting into the path of the link for engaging it and locking the camera in an open or picture taking position.

5. In a self erecting front camera, the combination with a camera body, of a front carrying an objective, lazy tongs on which the front may move relatively to the body and in parallel relation thereto, a camera bed hingedly mounted on the camera, and a link swingingly connected to a. lazy tongs pivot and pivotally 'connected to the vbed whereby movement is transmitted from one part to the other in opening and closing the camera and means for preventing movement of the link whereby the camera may be locked in an open or picture taln'ng position.

6. In a self erecting front camera, the combination with a camera body, of Va front carrying an objective, pairs of pivoted lazy tongs supporting each side of a lens board carrying an objective on which 'the lens board may move always in parallel relation to` the camera body, links pivotally mounted on the pivoted lazy tongs, a bed hinged to the camera and to the links, and a pair of latch members movably mounted to each side of the camera objective to engage the I two links locking the camera in an open or picture taking position.

7. In a self erecting front camera, the combination with a camera body, of a front carrying an objective, pairs of pivoted lazy tongs supporting each side of a lens board carrying an objective on which the lens board may move always in parallel relation to the camera body, links pivotally mounted on the pivoted lazy tongs, a bed hinged to the camera and to the links, and a pair of latch members movably mounted to each side of the camera objective to engage the two links locking the camera in an open or picture taking position, said latch members being releasable by pressing them toward each other.

8. In a self erecting front camera the combination with a camera body, of a bed hingedly attached thereto, a lazy tongs carried by the camera body, a lens board carrying an objective and likewise mounted on the lazy tongs, the lazy tongs comprising a pair of pivotally mounted cross arms pivotally attached'at one end to the camera body and lens board and having a pin and slot connection with the camera body: and lens board at their opposite ends, and a member connecting a pin of the pin and slot connection vof a lazy tongs arm and the bed, comprising a link pivotally attached to the bed, and a latch adapted to prevent the pin from sliding in the slot for locking the parts in a picture taking position.

9. In a self erecting front camera the combination with a camera body, of a bed hingedly attached thereto, a spring carried by the hinge pintle tending to open the camera bed, a lazy tongs carried by the camera body, a lens board carrying an objective and likewise mounted on the lazy tongs, the lazy tongs comprising a pair of pivotally mounted cross arms pivotally attached at one end to the camera body and lens board and having a p in and slot connection with the camera body and lens board at their opposite ends, and

a member connecting a pin of the pin and slot l connection of a lazy tongs arm and the bed, comprising a link pivotally attached to the bed, whereby movement of the bed under the impulse of the Vspring is transmitted to the lazy tongs, and a latch adapted. to prevent the pin from sliding in the slot for locking the parts in a picture taking position.

I 10. In a self-erecting front camera, the combination with a camera body, of a front carrying an objective, lazy tongs on which the front may move relatively to the body and in parallel relation thereto and comprising a plurality of members pivoted together, a camera bed hngedly mounted on the camera, said bed hinge being positioned outside of the camera body, and a link pivoted to lazy tongs members above their pivotal connections and connecting the lazy tongs and bed, and being pivoted to the latter near the bed hinge, whereby said link may move through a slight angle about its pivot when the camera bed is moved relative to the camera body.

ll1. In a self erecting front camera, the combination with a camera body, of a front carrying an objective, lazy tongs on which the front may move relatively to the body and in parallel rela- 

